If you are like me, you have probably seen folks jogging or cycling in this crazy Texas heat and thought “Yeah, there’s no way I am doing that.” And maybe you’ve even felt a little bad about it. Have you thought that maybe they have a level of dedication that you don’t? That’s what those ads for the NordicTrack or the Peloton want you to think. But friends, I am here to tell you that isn’t true. We are all dedicated to something. I may not be dedicated to spin class five nights a week but it does take dedication to make it to class every day and to not bite people who get up in my face about my tail invading their personal space. It is a tail, people, get over it!!
Sorry, started to go a little overboard there. But speaking of dedication, this month, we are going with a double dose of The Rock. No, not the movie, The Rock, which now that I think about it, I totally should have reviewed this month as well. Instead, I mean, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. That dude has been all over movies, TV, social media. He is putting in work, folks. He is dedicated to your entertainment and his career. So, let’s discuss two of his more recent films, shall we?
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2017) [PG-13]
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is a reboot of the 1995 film, Jumanji. It follows the story of four teenagers sent to detention where they find an old video game and enter the world of Jumanji as their video game avatars. The four teenagers, now adults in the game, must rely upon each other to complete the game and escape Jumanji.
It is a relatively simple set up but it is the execution that makes this Jumanji so much fun. The script is both genuinely funny, sweet and exciting. The actors handle their material admirably. And the action sequences are well thought out and exciting.
The whole film has just the right mix of seriousness and silliness. Part of the fun of the movie is that the adult actors (Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and The Rock) are cast against type. Johnson play the high school nerd. Hart is the star athlete. Gillan is an insecure wallflower. And Black is the avatar for the prettiest girl in the school.
The filmmakers do a nice job acknowledging the original film but this version can definitely stand on its own. I am usually hesitant to review comedies here because “funny” is so subjective, but I really feel like you’d have to try pretty hard to not laugh here. There’s a lot to like about Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. If you get the chance, I think you should give it a try.
And, as luck would have it, there happens to be a special screening of it at the Plano Campus (Spring Creek) on July 11 at 7 p.m. in Room C-103. Sure, you can rent this on iTunes, but the screening is FREE folks. And there will be popcorn, drinks and most importantly, other people there to watch it with. I’m just saying, you’ve been a bit of a homebody lately. Don’t be so shy. Come hang out with us and watch a fun movie.
7.5 paws out of 10
Rampage (2018) [PG-13]
Rampage, a movie based on a video game based on a concept that a couple of employees of Bally/Midway had to create a game where the was no wrong way to play. The idea was to create a game with no set objective. Just keep that little historical nugget in your mind for a second.
Let’s talk plot. Davis Okoye, played by Mr. Johnson, is a primatologist who works with gorillas, including an albino silverback named George with whom he shares a special bond. When an experiment goes wrong aboard a space station owned by Energyne, a gene manipulation company, canisters containing a pathogen fall to Earth. George, a wolf and a crocodile are all inadvertently infected and become giant, rage-filled beasts that are hell-bent on getting to Chicago where they are being lured by the owners of Energyne. Okoye and a former Energyne researcher played by Naomie Harris team up to save George and to try to save Chicago from being destroyed.
I’m not going to lie to you. The plot is pretty much inconsequential here. The acting, outside of The Rock, Harris and Jeffrey Dean Morgan is nothing to write home about. This movie is really just about watching the creatures rip stuff apart and, on that front, it succeeds mightily. There are points when there is so much dust and debris falling that I wasn’t sure if there were any actors (be they real or CGI) in the shot. And I’m okay with that.
At the end of the day, this is an action movie with no set objective. It relies almost entirely on the charm of its leading man and the joy of watching things fall down. It is full of ridiculous quotes and explosions and CGI. And you know what? It is not bad. I really thought this was going to be terrible but I guess that just shows you can’t judge a book by its cover. Well, unless that book cover is the poster for the movie. I mean, look at it. You can tell by looking at that poster whether you are going to like this or not.
6 paws out of 10
As always, if you have a movie you think I should check out or you want to talk further about one of these reviews, drop me a line at collincougar@collin.edu or leave me a message on Facebook.